31e (Argentum’s Song – PG)

Argent didn’t even try to stop the tears of relief that flowed steadily down his face. Sven looked questioningly to his commander.

“Claude, ride with me!”

The two horses rushed away. Soon their hooves could be heard galloping down the trail. Sven turned back to where Argent had inserted himself in front of Martha with uncertainly and some fear showing on his face.

“What just happened?”

“Ferus has a way for people to be restored. I’m just learning about it but -”

“No. Not your superstitious take on what happened metaphysically. What just happened politically? I’ve never seen the Marshal second guess himself or back down.”

Argent kept his eye on Sven, but bent to help Martha back up from the ground.

“I’m a Warrior too and there is a timely assembly already scheduled with word spread. I had the right to insist on a discussion and vote.”

Argent didn’t bother mentioning the consequences he would be facing if the Assembly decided his dispute was spurious or illegitimate. Or rather, from what he knew of the other Warriors, when they decided it was spurious and illegitimate. Now he had bound his honour to abide by their decision and he was honour bound to help her quest! What a mess.

“You know what, I’m not going to even pretend to understand why the Marshal would submit to that archaic system. He’s done more to help in the fight against the infected then all you other Warriors combined.”

Martha released his hand and walked behind him. Sven turned his attention to a dead tree nearby. Argent’s weak protests were soon drowned out by the sound of it being toppled. He didn’t really care, wasn’t even positive what he’d said. He’d just been talking out of a reflexive protection of Simon’s honour anyway. Unless it was now a reflexive protection of his father’s memory. Please Ferus, please let them find a way to save him. Sven shrugged.

“Look I’m not going to argue with you, it sure seemed to me like your Pa had fought his last battle and I’m not going to be one pick a fight over you honouring his memory. The Marshal was right to be ending infected, somehow you’ve convinced him not to end your girl friend. Fine. I don’t understand it. I don’t have to. I just have to keep my eyes open in case your wrong about her being infected. In the meantime we still have a job to do. Before anything else we need to burn the infected bodies.”

At the mention of the bodies, Argent glanced and saw Martha standing over the remains of the two foreigners. He had to come right up to her to be able to make out what she said.

“He just murdered them … just like that. And all you can think of to argue against his greatness is that Simon has murdered more? I’m not sure which are the greater monsters … the Beasts or the Warriors.”